roaming charges

[Optimistic Nick]

Re: roaming charges

I would be pretty pissed off to have a £112 bill for roaming charges suddenly hit at the end of a holiday

I agree. And even if it was only a fiver- it's still worse than pre Brexit. That's the point I'm making. It doesn't become a non-issue if it's just a few quid.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Re: roaming charges

By updating UK law was my suggestion. It appears that has been done in terms of limiting roaming charges to £45 a month, seems like quite a high figure to me.



The other option of course, would have been for both sets of negotiators to look after their citizens and include it in the trade deal.

Another one of those "have your cake and eat it" scenarios?

By my understanding of things, if you use a phone abroad you would likely use another company's signal. Under a common trade agreement as we had as members of the EU, it was decided that you could use a mobile within a fair usage policy on someone else's network. Now, if as part of Brexit negotiations, it was agreed to keep this, then great. It wasn't. As far as I know, there was an agreement on both sides that, if roaming charges were reintroduced, they should be reasonable.

The UK could have whatever laws it wants. It could ban roaming charges completely. Maybe mobile providers that operate in the UK would happily allow their networks to be used abroad, where they exist. However, there are plenty of mobile providers in Europe that don't operate in the UK and they would be free to charge what they want to piggyback on those networks, as long as it is reasonable. If those network operators chose to up their prices, UK operators might be forced to stop Brits using those networks. UK law wouldn't have any say in what foreign mobile operators do or charge.

[chrisp_1927]

Re: roaming charges

Another one of those "have your cake and eat it" scenarios?

By my understanding of things, if you use a phone abroad you would likely use another company's signal. Under a common trade agreement as we had as members of the EU, it was decided that you could use a mobile within a fair usage policy on someone else's network. Now, if as part of Brexit negotiations, it was agreed to keep this, then great. It wasn't. As far as I know, there was an agreement on both sides that, if roaming charges were reintroduced, they should be reasonable.

The UK could have whatever laws it wants. It could ban roaming charges completely. Maybe mobile providers that operate in the UK would happily allow their networks to be used abroad, where they exist. However, there are plenty of mobile providers in Europe that don't operate in the UK and they would be free to charge what they want to piggyback on those networks, as long as it is reasonable. If those network operators chose to up their prices, UK operators might be forced to stop Brits using those networks. UK law wouldn't have any say in what foreign mobile operators do or charge.

I don't see wanting a decent deal as 'having your cake and eating it'. I think it was perfectly reasonable to expect the negotiators on both sides to try and incorporate as many 'easy wins' as they could. It would have benefited eu citizens aswell as British citizens.


As for the roaming charges themselves. Admittedly I'm going slightly on guess work here, but ive always imagined that the major part of the cost paid by the consumer was due to a hefty markup by their provider. Rather than the wholesale rates between suppliers themselves being high. The relatively cheap fixed price deals for roaming in virtually all countries would suggest that the wholesale rates aren't to high.

UK legislation can stop your supplier gouging you with a massive markup. If problems do arise because of high wholesale prices in a particular area , then obviously thats a different matter that would need to be addressed as and when it happens

[blue matt]

Re: roaming charges

Isn't it a tenner for 30 days as well , which seems very reasonable ??

Back in the old day wi fi wasn't as far reaching as it is now abroad , or any good, I'm guessing whatt's App via wi fit will be used more to avoid roaming costs and other free sites ?

There is not evidence this wouldn't have happened anyway via discreet increase in monthly plans anyway , those costs were just not exposed as a standalone charge they were sucked into monthly traffic increases.

Its for new customers and perhaps renewals , it would only take one of the operators to brake ranks and not charge and we could see a bidding war .

If the roaming costs were really channelled back in to improving infrastructures within the UK including 5g masts most would accept the £2 , just a beer less a day out of 15

Indeed it is, i didnt read all the article

Customers travelling to the 47 affected European destinations will also be able to buy 30-day passes for £10 to use their home tariff abroad

lets be honest, a 10'er for a 1 or 2 week holiday isnt a game changer, though i expect people will still moan

[blue matt]

Re: roaming charges

£112 for a family of four users for a fortnight. That's cheap.

as LoM pointed out, its also £10 for 30 days

Customers travelling to the 47 affected European destinations will also be able to buy 30-day passes for £10 to use their home tariff abroad

£40 for a family of 4 for a fortnight

[blue matt]

Re: roaming charges

I would be pretty pissed off to have a £112 bill for roaming charges suddenly hit at the end of a holiday

but surely you would research the costs of roaming with your mobile and then make the choice to use the phone or not

I agree. And even if it was only a fiver- it's still worse than pre Brexit. That's the point I'm making. It doesn't become a non-issue if it's just a few quid.

it becomes closer to a non-issue as its only a few quid, you could of course put your phone in airplane mode and just use free wifi in the hotel etc etc

I used to pop my sim card out as i got on the plane to avoid roaming charges

[az city]

Re: roaming charges

as LoM pointed out, its also £10 for 30 days

Customers travelling to the 47 affected European destinations will also be able to buy 30-day passes for £10 to use their home tariff abroad

£40 for a family of 4 for a fortnight

Guess how much the (marginal) cost of allowing free roaming is?

Zero. That's right, zero.

How can anyone be ok with being charged GBP 40 for something that was free and costs providers nothing to allow?

Brexit - the idiocy that goes on and on.

[lardy]

Re: roaming charges

Guess how much the (marginal) cost of allowing free roaming is?

Zero. That's right, zero.

How can anyone be ok with being charged GBP 40 for something that was free and costs providers nothing to allow?

Brexit - the idiocy that goes on and on.

Some people are ok with marginal losses.

"It's only this", "it's only that"

More marginal losses all add up, but individually they seem small. But some people are ok with that.

[Rjk]

Re: roaming charges

but surely you would research the costs of roaming with your mobile and then make the choice to use the phone or not



it becomes closer to a non-issue as its only a few quid, you could of course put your phone in airplane mode and just use free wifi in the hotel etc etc

I used to pop my sim card out as i got on the plane to avoid roaming charges

that certainly doesn't sound like an improvement

[William Treseder]

Re: roaming charges

Perhaps you can explain how the UK government can tell phone companies to keep scrapping roaming charges when we are no longer in the EU?

Perhaps folk could just boycott EE for being greedy bastards!

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Re: roaming charges

Perhaps folk could just boycott EE for being greedy bastards!

It's also worth noting that Three and O2 have both reduced the amount you can use abroad under "fair usage" policies.

[blue matt]

Re: roaming charges

Guess how much the (marginal) cost of allowing free roaming is?

Zero. That's right, zero.

How can anyone be ok with being charged GBP 40 for something that was free and costs providers nothing to allow?

Brexit - the idiocy that goes on and on.

It might cost zero extra, so maybe the anger should be taken out on EE, dont renew contracts, maybe go with a company that doesnt charge roaming fee's

You have a option, pay it and use your mobile as you were at home, or dont pay it and use wifi to stay in touch with people back home

Brexit - The chance for the losers to moan and moan.

[blue matt]

Re: roaming charges

Perhaps folk could just boycott EE for being greedy bastards!

what a novel idea

But

Some people are ok with moaning about the smallest of things,

"Moan about this", "moan about that"

We all know the glass 1/2 empty type, never happy, But we accept some people are like that.

£2 a day / £10 for 30 days

[Rjk]

Re: roaming charges

https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/1424683840233213954?s=19

oh look

[Optimistic Nick]

Re: roaming charges

Brexit - The chance for the losers to moan and moan.

Legitimately. We are all losers - that is the point. It was a bad idea and a bad decision and we all have to pay the price for the ignorance of a small majority. We've every right to moan. Roaming charges is just a small part of it. Guess what it costs a UK merchant to process a credit card payment from an EU customer post-brexit? 5 times more than it used to. Guess what it costs an EU merchant to accept a card payment from a UK customer? 5 times more than it used to.

Do you have any idea what is going to happen when businesses here are going to need fuller customs clearances from Oct? Do you know how many pieces of a information a standard truck delivering produce to a supermarket will need? And even if they get it right 99.9% of the time - you are looking at a significant proportion of trucks being delayed by about a day, taking a day off the shelf life. These are real consequences for important sectors and we will all suffer for it.

The bad consequences of Brexit are everywhere. It is going to affect us all for the worse, and I still cannot see any benefits (realised or potential) that come close to balancing out the downsides.